Work-at-home Thursday

Did I mention how much I've been enjoying having some non-teaching days this semester? I can't believe what a difference it makes to not have to go teach a class (or two) every day of the week. I can actually get my mind to focus on other things (like research!). I can work at home without having to go into campus. I live really close to work, so it's not the distance, but rather the mindset. I taught a morning class every day last semester, so I never had a weekday to be at home and regroup. I had time after class to come home and do things, but I find that mornings are more productive for me, so the day was mostly a loss. I also don't have to come up with FIVE suitable teaching outfits every week, either. That was a real stretch for me. I mean, I could have easily worn the same five outfits every week, but I like to mix it up and dressing up every day was hard for me. I LOVE my days at home in sweats in my home office.

Today, I have some teaching prep to do, I need to read over some P&T files, and want to get some research work done- I need a more specific plan for that, though. If I just say I will work on research, I'll just go in a million directions and not get much done. My wonderful RA is trying to sort out her thesis topic right now and it's tied in with our project, so it's all connected. I'm really enjoying working with her- I wish I had more grant money to fund her for next year, too (she'll switch to a TA).

I also get to spend some time playing with my NEW MacBook Pro! I replaced my old* one with money I had from a workshop and the grant. I can't believe how much faster 4GB of RAM is- and I can add more! I just got it yesterday and am loving how fast it is. I can run a Windows XP AND a Linux virtual machine at the same time! And nothing is slow. BTW, if anyone has experience with Linux, I'd love to hear how you use it. I just installed it and haven't had much time to play around it.

D will be home this morning (at least), because they have a delay due to ice, so my morning may not be as productive as usual... Have a great Thursday, everyone!

*I bought the old one in late 2007 after getting word about tenure. It's underpowered for what I want to do with it.